Blog How to feed your puppy a Truly Raw diet
Feeding your puppy raw requires a bit more research than feeding an adult dog. While your puppy is developing, you will need to feed them based on their current weight and adjust as they grow. This will seem like a large amount of food, but it will support your puppy’s growing body. Read more to learn about the proper steps to take when feeding your puppy a truly raw diet.
Transitioning:
We recommend giving your puppy a week to adjust in your home on their existing food to reduce the chance of loose stools from stress and diet change combined. After roughly one week, puppies should start raw feeding with a balanced diet right from the beginning. Since a puppy’s body cannot store nutrients over time like an adult dog, their diet cannot be balanced over time. A puppy’s diet needs to be balanced daily, although every meal in a day does not need to be individually balanced as long as the combination of meals per day provides all essential nutrients in sufficient quantities.
When transitioning to raw, there are 2 methods that can be used for puppies. Your puppy can either be switched cold-turkey to a balanced DIY raw diet, or slow transitioned using the specific process outlined here. Most of the ingredients needed for a DIY raw diet for puppies are available on our website.
If you would like to feed the Truly Raw or Variety Blend base meals but want some one-on-one guidance on how to construct an 80-10-10 diet using these products, we’re available to help! Schedule a free consultation call with one of our in-house raw feeding experts and certified canine nutritionists.
How much to feed
Please refer to our puppy raw feeding pyramid. Daily feeding amounts for puppies should be split into 3-4 separate meals fed throughout the day for optimal nutrient absorption.
Puppy Raw Feeding Chart
Puppy’s age: Percentage to feed
0 – 4 months: 10-8% of current body weight
5 – 7 months: 8-5% of current body weight
8 – 10 months: 5-4% of current body weight
11 – 14 months: 4-2% of current body weight
**Example: For a 4-month-old puppy, feed 8% of your puppy’s current body weight.
How much food should I purchase for my puppy?
How much to purchase at one time will depend on personal preference, how much your dog eats, and how much freezer space you have available to store food. You can order weekly, biweekly, or monthly depending on these factors. Many pet owners choose to have an extra freezer in their garage for bulk storage.
Pro tip
Get a kitchen scale to weigh out each meal. We find it best to portion your meals in ounces or grams for a more accurate measurement. Watch your pet’s figure. If you notice significant weight loss or gain, adjust the feeding amount accordingly. Snacks are great for training and congratulating our friends, but they do count towards the daily intake. If you base your feeding amount strictly on meals, and feed additional snacks, you may notice weight gain – factor snacks into the daily intake to maintain your pet’s healthy weight.
Do you still have questions about feeding your puppy raw? Schedule a consultation with our team today!